Why It Matters

Children are born learning. And what they learn in those first few years can change the course of their lives. The overwhelming evidence and research demonstrate that high-quality early care and education is a crucial component of a child’s healthy development. This is particularly true when one considers the role of quality early childhood education programs in offsetting sustained toxic stress and adversity often associated with living in poverty. Unfortunately, low-income families are the least likely to have access to affordable, high-quality options for their children – particularly infants and toddlers.

The Need

Less than half of low-income children have access to high-quality early childhood programs that could dramatically improve their opportunities for a better future. And a majority of voters of all income levels say there is a critical lack of early education programs in their area that are high-quality and affordable. This statistic is tragic when one considers that skills developed in the first five years of life greatly influence success later in life.

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Brain Development

During the first few years of life, a child’s brain is at its most flexible, making this a critical period for learning and growth. Waiting until kindergarten is too late—children who receive quality early education demonstrate greater cognitive and socio-emotional development than children who do not.

School Readiness

High-quality early childhood education lays the foundation for school readiness by building the cognitive and character skills that children need to do well in school, including attentiveness, persistence, impulse control and sociability.

Economic Impact

Economic development starts with early childhood development—and the best investments ensure all children, particularly those from low-income families, have access to high-quality early childhood education. Evidence shows that increased access to high-quality early childhood learning and care programs results in short- and long-term economic benefits to individuals and society.

Lifelong Gains

Investing in early childhood education is a solution that creates upward mobility by ensuring all children have the opportunity to build foundations for long-term success in life. Children from low-income families who receive a high-quality early childhood education are proven to be more likely to earn higher wages, live healthier lives, avoid incarceration, raise stronger families, and contribute to society. The benefits of high-quality programs from birth through age five do not end with one child, but instead extend to their entire family, now and in the years to come.

Support for Working Families

In addition to the proven benefits of early childhood education for children, access to affordable, reliable, and high-quality early learning and child care opportunities provide working families with better job stability and overall economic security. Unfortunately, the need to access this critical support far outpaces their current capacity, and many families across the country cannot afford the cost of quality child care.

State & Local Demand

States and communities across the nation are leading the way to ensure more children—especially those from low-income families—have access to high-quality early learning and care from birth through age five. And much of the progress at the state and local levels has been made possible through strong partnerships with the federal government aimed at expanding access, increasing quality, and more.

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Voter Demand

FFYF’s renowned national and state polling is the gold standard for voter sentiment on early childhood education in America. Four years of findings have shown a steady increase in support for greater investments in quality early learning and care opportunities, while also establishing a clear set of principles that voters want their lawmakers to follow as they develop policy solutions for working families.